Elderly Man Stabbed In Chest While Leaving Lunch Date With Wife

FAIRFIELD (CBS13) — An 80-year-old Fairfield man is recovering from his injuries after he was stabbed after a lunch date with his wife.

Ed Monroe was walking out of a Burger King on North Texas Street when he was stabbed in the chest. He says at first he thought he was punched until he looked down and saw a blade sticking out of his chest.

Ed Monroe was stabbed in the chest at a Fairfield Burger King.

The suspect, a 31-year-old transient named Dale Chodorowski, was caught and arrested by Fairfield Police. He is currently on parole.

The 80-year old is still standing strong, nearly a week after he was attacked by a transient.

“I’m saying to myself what the heck did I do?” Monroe asked.

The left side of his chest is deeply bruised. A bandage covers almost an inch-long wound, where he was stabbed.

Dale Chodorowski (credit: Solano County Sheriff’s Office)

Monroe was having lunch with his wife when he says he noticed a homeless man sleeping across the way. The man eventually got up and left, but came back a second time, as Monroe and his wife were leaving.

“He walks in and he punches me like ‘hey how you doin,’ but it wasn’t that way,” Monroe said.

Fairfield Police Lt. Greg Hurlbut says transients are a problem across North Texas Street. He says there’s not much law enforcement can do if there’s no crime committed.

“We went and interviewed a number of witnesses that eventually led to his capture just down the road,” said Fairfield Police Lieutenant Greg Hurlbut.

Monroe is still stunned and puzzled by the attack. Two strangers who crossed paths, and Monroe was lucky to walk away.

“I was completely caught off guard there and I didn’t like that,” he said.

Chodorowski is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.